Crazy Stupid
by jezzyh
Summary: When you've lost everything you know, it's terrifying to find something to live for. But love is all things crazy and stupid.. Daryl


_**Yey! A new story for you all! I have a new found addiction for The Walking Dead, so I HOPE you love this story as much as I do. **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, blah blah blah.**_

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_**The beginning of the outbreak…**_

"_Mom, I realize you still see me as that pitiful kid who could easily trip over a blade of grass, but I am twenty three now. I'm fully aware of what sex is."_

_My mother gave me a stern expression. Yes it was true. I was still a horrible klutz (that part of me would unfortunately stick with me until my death bed), but my mother's serious expression when she said she needed to have an important "talk" with me, seemed the opportune time to tease her. _

"_That is not what I meant when I said we needed to talk Autumn Lily Carter, but thank you for being the exact imprint of your father, ya' smart ass."_

_With a smirk I shrugged. "You sort of handed that one to me. But, anyway, what is it mom?"_

_My mother's dark hair fell in her face, before she pulled it behind her ear. Letting out a sigh, I knew whatever she was about to tell me, wasn't good. I knew that sigh all too well. It was the same sigh she gave me when Koopa- my parakeet- had managed to get out of his he cagé and accidentally flew right into our ceiling fan(rest in peace you stupid bird) It was what I liked to refer to as "mom's disappointing speech expression". So as usual, I readied myself for something that could potentially be rather depressing. _

_But something caught my mother's attention; pulling her eyesight out the front window of my parent's home. Squinting, all look of confusion and fear came across her face. She quickly stood to her feet from the kitchen table before leaning again the glass to our home. _

"_Is that- is that Dr. Newmon from down the road? I think he might be injured!"_

_Running toward the front door, I reached for my cell phone following my mother's steps._

_My mother ripped open the front door before calling out to my childhood neighbor from down the road. _

"_Dr. Newman, are you alright? Are you injured?!" She yelled out to him, before she quickly began walking toward him._

_That's when I noticed the blood on his shirt and mouth. With each step he took, there seemed to be an odd stumble in his stride. My mother's cries had him turn our way. His lifeless face startled me. It was as if the man I knew wasn't there. Dr. Newman was a gentle soul, who always carried a smile. Yet there was no grin or pleasant expression. Instead he seemed to carry emptiness. With a heavy grunt he quickly moved toward my mother; his arms stretched out. My instincts were screaming, and my body was filled with fear. As my heart beat raced I knew something was terribly wrong, and a part of me wanted to stay away from the old man. But to fear someone who had literally carried me down the street to my parent's with a busted up knee after I fell from my bike seemed wrong. _

"_Dr. Newman what's-" _

_Before my mother had finished speaking Dr. Newman had pulled her to him, biting into her neck and shoulder. With a violent scream, blood spewed down my mother's body. My body shook with fear as I too screamed moving instantly to my mother's side._

"_No! Mom!" I yelled in anguish as I tried to push him away from her. He fell back, and into the street before attempting to come at me. His empty and soulless eyes reminded me nothing of the man I had known my entire life. My heart raced and my shaken legs could barely keep me standing. I had never been so terrified in my entire life. Stepping back he continued to move toward me, and not knowing what to do, I simply ran. Ran for my life and back into the home I had grown up in. _

_The man I had once known as Dr. Frank Newman was close on my tail as I sprinted toward the open door. But in perfect Autumn style, I had tripped while stepping inside and slid wildly across the hardwood floor. _

_With no time to close the door I passed through the entrance and headed straight for the kitchen. I wasn't strong, and I certainly wasn't tough, but my will to survive had kicked in, and if I was going to make it, a knife was my only chance. _

_Tears streamed down my face as I reached for the butcher knife and turned to face him. He was still moving toward me, making those horrible grunting and wheezing sounds. _

"_Frank, please! I don't want to do this to you! Please, I'm begging you stop!"_

_I held the knife directly in front of me, stepping back with each word. He said nothing and continued to move at me. Hitting the counter, I could no longer step back, and as soon as he was close enough, with a shaky hand, I jabbed the knife directly into his chest._

"_Oh God! Frank, I'm so sorry!" I cried out as he stumbled back and hit the floor. Falling to my knees beside him, I wanted to help him. But his arms reached for mine and he attempted to pull me toward his mouth. Even with the blade stuck in his body he was still after my flesh. _

_With a forceful shove I moved his arms away from me and quickly stood to my feet. Frank, or whatever he had become, did the same. I shook my head in shock and disbelief. There was nothing human about his actions. He should be writhing in pain. There should have been a scream of agony. He should have panicked about a freakin' butcher knife lodging in his chest. But instead he stood up and tried to attack me once again. _

_In a panic I moved toward the living room and headed for the coat closet. My father's gun would be sitting comfortably in the left corner amongst the shoes and hung up jackets. Yanking the door open I pulled out the weapon and immediately pointed it toward him. _

"_Frank. If you're in there, say something. I-please- please just stop!"_

_My cheeks were wet with tears, and my voice cracked with every word I spoke._

_With the gun facing him, I winced and attempted to pull the trigger. But the safety was on, and Frank was just a few feet from me now. _

_Quickly switching it off I tried again, and this time he was within reach. The bullet hit his throat and once again he stumbled back. But it didn't bring him down. He still moved at me, causing me to pull the trigger once again. I fired a third shot, with the fourth hitting him between the eyes. I didn't stop shooting, even when Frank was already on the floor. And though the gun was empty, I had still pulled the trigger at least an extra fifteen times._

_Every inch of me shook with fear, and in between my sobs were sharp in-drawn breaths. I had taken a human a life, just protect my own. The deed made me sick, and I instantly felt like throwing up. But the reminder that my mangled mother still lay outside had me jumping into action. _

_When I'd reached the door, I let out a wince of agony. Three people were now feasting on my mother's body. Raising the gun in both anger and pain, I pulled the trigger before remembering that I'd emptied the clip in Frank. One of three looked up and noticed me standing in the doorway. The woman, whom I had known as Deena Winters, immediately stood to her feet. _

_Slamming the door, I quickly locked it behind me, before falling to my knees. Sobbing, I placed my hands on the door and cried out for my mother. But my moment of grief was quickly interrupted by the banging of the person on the opposite side of the door. It caused me to fall back as I slid away from the door. Leaning against the wall, I covered my ears and cradled my knees to my chest. I couldn't move and couldn't speak. I couldn't pull myself off the floor or keep myself from shaking. All I could do was weep, and soon my breathing became so heavy I began to hyperventilate. _

_I was scared beyond measure and overwhelmed with sorrow. I couldn't believe any of what I was seeing. It was like every horror and every nightmare imaginable was playing out before me. A part of me wanted to wake up. To wake up and find that nothing that I had just witnessed and been through was actually real. To wake up and see that it had been a horribly bad dream. _

_But the banging at the door still continued, and the body that lay within my eyesight still remained on our family's living room floor. _

_Her bloody hand slammed against one of the narrow windows that lay on both sides of my parent's front door. Jolting, I realized it wouldn't be long before she could break the glass and get inside. I had to get out of there. I had to get away from those things that used to be people I knew. I needed to escape, but wasn't sure how I could. How was I supposed to leave my mother out there like that? I knew she was already dead, but I couldn't stomach leaving her. _

_But the thought of my brother Mason and my father came to mind. I needed to find them both and fast. The thought of losing them also was too much to bare. I had no choice but to leave. She would want us together. She would want me to keep my brother safe, and to stick by my father's side._

_With another bang of her hand, I screamed and knew I didn't have much longer. With hesitant steps I headed for the garage, taking one last glance at the front door before grabbing the keys off the hook to my father's suburban._

"_I love you mom." I said as I shut the garage door behind me. _

_Starting up the engine, I pushed the black button that was hooked onto the passenger visor and watched as the garage door began to slowly open. As soon as it was high enough I hit the gas and back up into the street. The sound of my SUV had several more neighbors moving toward the vehicle. All of their faces covered with blood, and none of them looking at all like the people I had known. _

_Speeding off, I did everything I could to avoid my mother's body; never once glancing at the front of my childhood home. _

_With a broken and heavy heart, I drove down the street. A woman was being chased by several before they finally caught her and dragged her to the ground. Another person was already being eaten as he attempted to fight them off._

_It was hard enough to breathe let alone to actually manage driving. Especially with the horror that played all around me. But I needed to find them. I needed to hold both of them and see their faces and know they were okay. I wasn't sure where they'd be, but hoped that whatever was going on hadn't found its way to Mason. _

_Remembering the cell in my pocket, I immediately pulled it out and called my brother. _

"_Come on, pick up!"_

_By the second ring he'd already answered. "Autumn!"_

_His voice was like heaven and for a brief second I felt relief._

"_Oh thank God Mason I-"_

"_Just just the hell up and listen to me! Don't leave the house! Just wait until I get to you! We need to get the fuck out of here! Something fucking crazy is going on!"_

"_Mason! Mason- wait- listen! I'm not at home- I- mom-she's- I- Oh God, Mason!"_

"_Just tell me where you are!" _

_I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to tell my only brother what I'd been through, or what had happened to our Mom. _

"_I'm driving Dad's suburban. I- I had to leave- I had to leave the house."_

_Every word fumbled out of my mouth and sounded weaker then the last. Just like that, I was at it again. My breathing had become hyperventilating. _

"_Autumn, Stop! Just breathe okay? You have to calm down so you can make it to me. I'm almost there, just breath."_

_Trying to listen I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The sight of his red Toyota turning the corner had me hitting the breaks violently. _

_Ripping open the car door I ran toward his car. "Mason!"_

_He quickly did the same before pulling me into his arms. The sound of fast approaching footsteps had him pull away from me as quickly as he had done so. _

"_Fuck! Let's get the hell out of here! Dragging me to the suburban we hopped inside as atleast twelve people ran toward us. _

"_Go go go go!" I shouted as I jumped in the passenger seat. _

"_It's like this everywhere. I woke up at Rick's and heard screaming outside. There were people all over the fucking neighborhood eating each other like sick twisted animals. I saw a man with a shotgun blast one of them, and in a few seconds he was back on his feet! It wasn't until he'd blown his fucking head off that the bastard would stop. Something about the head- it's gotta be the head."_

"_I can't do it again Mason. I can't hurt anyone else. These were people I knew."_

_He turned to face me with a look of anguish. A part of me knew that he was already aware that something had happened to mom. If he wouldn't have, we wouldn't be driving in this direction. He would have went straight to our place to find her.  
_

"_Is- she- is she- gone?"_

_He wasn't shouted his lungs off this time. In fact, Mason's words had barely escaped his lips. _

_I couldn't answer. I couldn't bring myself to even nod. But my silence was enough for him to figured it out. I watched him as the pain of her loss could be read clearly across his face. He banged his fist against the steering wheel before wiping the few that had fallen off his face. _

_Neither of us spoke for a while. We just continued down the road as I continued to cry silently to myself, with only my deep inhales of breath occasionally escaping. _

_It wasn't until then that I'd noticed the injury on his arms. Blood spilled down his forearm and onto his hand. _

"_Mason, you're bleeding!"_

_He gripped the steering wheel tight, not even glancing down. _

"_Son of a bitch bit me before I had the chance to get away. I'm okay though. It doesn't hurt. Look we have to get a hold of Dad. I've already called his phone a hundred times. He hasn't been picking up. I'm hoping Denver is nothing like this. I'm hoping he's safe."_

_My eyes bulged in horror. "You think people are like this everywhere?" The thought made my skin crawl. _

"_No fucking clue. Autumn, I'm just as confused as you. I don't know what's going on. It's like the whole world has gone to hell. All I know is we have to stick together. You stay in my sight, you go it? If this is outside Columbia, all we can do is stay together."_

_His eyes stayed on me like glue for a moment as I did the same to him. There was so much pain in his expression, but there was also determination. He was determined to make sure I stayed alive. He was determined to keep me safe. It didn't matter that I was three years his senior. Mason had always played the role of my protector. It was like second nature for him. _

_The sound of brakes and echoing car horns had me jerking my eyes toward the road. _

"Mason look out!" I shouted as I jolted up. My dreams had once again been filled with what had happened so many months ago. Taking a deep breath I gripped the chain around my neck before holding the small silver key in my hand. Rubbing the metal against my thumb, I tried to stop my heart from racing.

Outside the abandoned home the wind blew wildly. It was late, and I was lucky to be somewhere in doors. Especially in the Oconee National Forest. The abandoned cabin was the best place for me to camp out before I needed to move on. It was dissolute and I hadn't seen a walker yet in the four days I'd been there. But even its peacefulness couldn't get me to stay. I missed people. I missed human interaction. It had been three weeks since I'd seen another soul. Three weeks since I'd lost the group I'd been with. The minute we'd gotten separated after a group of walkers had caught up with us while we scavenged the town for food, I knew I'd never see them again. But I didn't just up and leave. Before we had decided to go looking for supplies, we had all chosen a meeting place if we got split up. I waited ten hours before the sun started to go down and I couldn't be out in the open any longer. After a good cry, I picked myself up, left a note saying I was headed north, and I'd keep my C.B. on the same channel.

Theresa and Will had been my only company since I had lost my family. They had taken me in, taught me how to start a fire and patch up wounds. They showed me how to survive. Without them, I wouldn't have lasted a day.

Honestly, there were times I wasn't sure how I'd managed to stay alive. Twice I'd dropped my weapon and barely managed to put down the walkers that had been after my sorry butt. There was even a time I'd tripped down a flight a stairs with walkers close behind but was able to get up and get out. That's the reason I still believed in God. Because if I were simply on my own with no one to guide me, I'd be as a dead as a doornail. It was plain and simple- God had an army of guardian angels watching over my klutzy self.

That didn't mean, however, that I wasn't ridiculously pissed at Him. He had taken away my mother, my father, and my brother. The world around me wasn't a familiar place. It was constant hell and constant destruction. Every second I had to be on guard. Peace wasn't something I knew any more. It was something I had to pretend to have so I didn't lose my mind. It was also something I hoped for every day.

Standing to my feet, I reached for the axe before peeking between one of the boarded up windows. I couldn't see much out in the darkness, but just paid attention for any movement. I listened for the noises they made; the moaning and irritating wheezes they always produced. When all seemed okay, I lay back on the floor before slipping under the sheet I'd found inside the home.

Gripping the axe, I tried to fall back asleep, but the sound the sound of breaking limbs and footsteps had me on my feet.

Whatever was out there was on the move, and fast. I quickly moved toward the window trying to spot a face, a body, just something to see what was outside.

When I finally spotted the person, they had leaped over the fence with ease and continued toward the front door. I couldn't see their face, but it obvious now that this person was a man. His broad shoulders evident even in the darkness.

Moving back to hide, I watched as he attempted to open the door, but I wasn't the type to leave doors unlocked anymore.

"Damnit!" He pounded the door with his fist before moving on.

Following him, I headed for the back of the house to make sure I'd locked that door too. But the sucker could move, and I'd barely made it to make sure when he'd reached the door to pull it open. When he realized it was locked the door received a violent kick before I heard him on the run once more.

I knew I shouldn't do it, but I couldn't leave him. I could hear Will's voice in the back of my mind, telling me to never open a door to strangers to could be bitten. But my conscience had taken over the rational me.

Ripping open the door I yelled out to him.

"Hey!" I half shouted and half whispered.

With an immediate halt, he'd jolted around; his cross bow facing directly at me. I motioned him over before he sprinted toward me.

Lifting up the axe I held it firmly in front of me. "Have you been bitten?!" I said before he got any closer.

"Do I look injured to you?" His words came out harsh and sarcastically.

"How should I know? You could be hiding some wound underneath those clothes." I said as he stood just a few feet from me now.

"I'm not injured, damnit! The walkers weren't far behind me so ya' think we can stop chattin' it up and get the hell inside?"

I stepped out of his way before quickly locking the door behind me. With the axe still in front of me, I held turned to face him.

"Prove it." I said bluntly "Take off your shirt and show me."

"You gotta be shittin' me." He shook his head, but could see I wasn't going to let this one go. "Fine."

Holding the bow in one hand, he reached behind his head before quickly pulling off the shirt. I hadn't realized what a bold move I'd made to ask a man to get half naked in front of me really was, until I had taken in the sight of his glorious body.

My cheeks began to burn and I was glad it had been as dim as it was in there. Besides the light from the lantern on the floor it was as dark in there as it was outdoors. But I wasn't blind. This stranger was sporting a pretty nice and muscular frame. And even in times like these, I was still human and could admire a beautiful thing when it was in front of me.

"Ya' happy? Or do I need to take the pants off too?"

I blushed even more at his words. "I trust you." I said before continuing. "I'm Autumn. I'm sorry I didn't let you in at first. I was scared you might be injured."

He waved me off before speaking. "Don't worry about it. I get it. You gotta protect your own skin, especially these days. Name's Daryl."

He placed his hand out for me to take. His grip was firm, and his hands were slightly calloused. He was rugged; like a man should be. And it made him all the more beautiful.

The sound of approaching footsteps and guttural wheezing had us both facing the front of the home. His outstretched arm now pushed me back as if to guard me. His reaction surprised me, but somehow made my trust in him instantly grow; like for some reason I felt slightly safer with him there.

"I knew those bastards wouldn't be far behind. I lead the walkers this way so my group could get to safety. We never expected that many walkers to be this far in the woods. Fuckers must be low on food. If they get in here, we'll have to move fast. There was at least twenty of them."

"Twenty? I haven't seen that many since I was closer to towns."

"Well, I just hope you can move that ass of yours, if it comes down to it."

_You and me both_ I thought to myself. I was much to clumsy and running around in the woods at night was a horribly awful idea for me. But then, A thought occurred.

"Wait! Maybe we don't have to run. I mean, maybe we can wait it off until morning, atleast." As I spoke, I was on the move. "When I first got here I scouted the place over to be sure it was safe. I found this."

Walking toward the master bedroom I headed straight for the closet. Pulling up a square floor board, a flight of stairs came into view.

"The basement has a way out of there besides this one too. It leads directly to the back yard. There's guns, ammo, and canned goods in their too. I thought it might come in handy."

Smiling up at him his expression changed from grim to sly in an instant.

"You really are somethin'. Just when we were running out of supplies and I thought I'd have to run my ass all night, you tell me you've got weapons and food in this heap? Keep it up and you may be the woman of my dreams."

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**So there is chapter 1. I will update as soon as I can! Leave me a review, and check out my other story if you feel like it :)**


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